[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 161 (Friday, August 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51479-51480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20559]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[CACA 048811, LLCAD06000, L51010000.FX0000, LVRWB09B2600]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Chevron Energy Solutions/Solar Millennium Blythe 
Solar Power Plant and Proposed California Desert Conservation Area Plan 
Amendment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 
prepared a Proposed California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan 
Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Chevron 
Energy Solutions/Solar Millennium (CESSM), LLC's Blythe Solar Power 
Plant (BSPP) project and by this notice is announcing its availability.

DATES: The publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 
Notice of Availability (NOA) of this Final EIS in the Federal Register 
initiates a 30-day public comment period. In addition, the BLM's 
planning regulations state that any person who meets the conditions 
described in the regulations may protest the BLM's Proposed CDCA Plan 
Amendment/Final EIS. A person who meets the conditions and files a 
protest must file the protest within 30 days of the date that EPA 
publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. The protest procedures are 
described in the ``Dear Reader'' letter accompanying the Proposed Plan 
Amendment/Final EIS.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Proposed CDCA Plan Amendment/Final EIS for the 
BSPP Project have been sent to affected Federal, state, and local 
government agencies and to other stakeholders. Copies are available for 
public inspection at the Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201 
Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262. Interested persons 
may also review the Proposed CDCA Plan Amendment/Final EIS at the 
following Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/palmsprings/Solar_Projects/Blythe_Solar_Power_Project.html.
    Submit comments on the Final EIS to Allison Shaffer, BLM Project 
Manager, Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, 
Palm Springs, California 92262; or e-mail: [email protected].
    All protests must be in writing and mailed to one of the following 
addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, P.O. Box 
66538, Washington, DC 20035.

Overnight Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Brenda Williams, 1620 L 
Street, NW., Suite 1075, Washington, DC 20036.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Shaffer, BLM Project Manager, 
telephone (760) 833-7100; address (see ADDRESSES above).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: CESSM has submitted a right of way (ROW) 
application to the BLM for development of the proposed BSPP project, 
consisting of 4 parabolic trough solar thermal power plants. The 
project would be built in 4 phases which are designed to generate 
approximately 968 megawatts (MW) of electricity at full development. 
The project footprint is approximately 5,950 acres of BLM-managed 
lands, with a proposed ROW encompassing 9,400 acres. The project site 
is in Riverside County, California, approximately 8 miles west of 
Blythe, California, 3 miles north of Highway I[hyphen]10, and 1 mile 
north of the Blythe Regional Airport.
    The project includes the power generation facility, an electrical 
transmission line, natural gas pipeline, and an access road. A double 
circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line would be constructed to 
interconnect to the Devers-Palo Verde 2 500 kV line at the 
Colorado River substation. Approximately 6.5 miles of this new line 
would be outside the project area but is included in the analysis. The 
new line proposes to use a 175-foot wide ROW.
    The BLM's purpose and need for the NEPA analysis of the BSPP 
project is to respond to CESSM's application under Title V of FLPMA (43 
U.S.C. 1761) for a ROW grant to construct, operate, and

[[Page 51480]]

decommission a solar thermal electric generation facility on public 
lands in compliance with FLPMA, BLM ROW regulations, and other 
applicable Federal laws. The BLM will decide whether to approve, 
approve with modification, or deny a ROW grant to CESSM for the 
proposed BSPP project. The BLM will also consider amending the CDCA 
Plan in this analysis. The CDCA Plan (1980, as amended), while 
recognizing the potential compatibility of solar electric generation 
facilities on public lands, requires that all sites associated with 
power generation or transmission not identified in the CDCA Plan be 
considered through the plan amendment process. If the BLM decides to 
grant a ROW, the BLM would also amend the CDCA Plan as required.
    In the Final EIS, the BLM's proposed action is to authorize the 
BSPP project and approve a CDCA Plan amendment in response to the 
application received from CESSM. The BLM's preferred alternative is the 
proposed action. In addition to the proposed action, the BLM is 
analyzing the following action alternatives: (1) authorize a 
reconfigured 1,000-MW alternative and amend the CDCA Plan; and (2) 
authorize a smaller 750-MW alternative and amend the CDCA Plan.
    As required under NEPA, the Final EIS analyzes a no action 
alternative that would not require a CDCA Plan Amendment. Additionally, 
the Final EIS analyzes two additional no action alternatives: (1) A no 
action alternative which would deny the project but amend the CDCA Plan 
to allow other solar energy power generation projects on the project 
site and (2) a no action alternative which would deny the project and 
amend the CDCA Plan to prohibit solar energy projects on the project 
site. The BLM will take into consideration the provisions of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 and Secretarial Orders 3283 Enhancing Renewable 
Energy Development on the Public Lands and 3285A1 Renewable Energy 
Development by the Department of the Interior in responding to the BSPP 
application.
    The Final EIS evaluates the potential impacts of the project on air 
quality, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, 
geological resources and hazards, land use, noise, paleontological 
resources, public health, socioeconomics, soils, traffic and 
transportation, visual resources, wilderness characteristics, and other 
resources.
    The Applicant has applied to the Department of Energy (DOE) for a 
loan guarantee under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 
05), as amended by Section 406 of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 (the ``Recovery Act''). The 
DOE has entered into negotiations of a loan guarantee with the 
applicant, and is a cooperating agency in developing the Final EIS.
    An NOA for the BSPP Draft EIS/Draft CDCA Plan Amendment and 
California Energy Commission Staff Assessment (SA) was published by EPA 
in the Federal Register on March 19, 2010 (75 FR 13301). The formal 90-
day comment period ended on June 16, 2010. Comments on the Draft EIS/
plan amendment received from the public and internal BLM review were 
considered and incorporated as appropriate into the proposed plan 
amendment. Public comments resulted in the addition of clarifying text, 
but did not significantly change proposed decisions.
    Instructions for filing a protest with the Director of the BLM 
regarding the BSPP Project may be found in the BSPP Proposed CDCA Plan 
Amendment/Final EIS ``Dear Reader'' letter and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. E-
mailed or faxed protests will not be accepted as valid protests unless 
the protesting party also provides the original letter by either 
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the e-mailed or 
faxed protest as an advance copy and it will receive full 
consideration. If you wish to provide the BLM with such advance 
notification, please direct faxed protests to the attention of the BLM 
protest coordinator at (202) 912-7212, and e-mails to [email protected]. All protests, including the follow-up letter to e-
mails or faxes, must be in writing and mailed to the appropriate 
address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES section above.
    Before including your phone number, e-mail address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest, you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6, and 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2 and 
1610.5.

Thomas Pogacnik,
Deputy State Director, California.
[FR Doc. 2010-20559 Filed 8-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P